The Similarities and Differences Between Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Apocalypse Now

Throughout the course of the novel and the movie, we see many similarities and differences in the way the way the themes and messages are represented. Conrad must use wonderful imagery, the “lighting and setting” of a scene, in Heart of Darkness to convey his meaning to the reader. Coppola relies solely on what you see happening in Apocalypse Now and must therefore carefully choose the lighting and setting of a scene to convey a similar meaning created by the imagery of Conrad. It is this one notices in the scenes killing the helmsman in Heart of Darkness and Chief in Apocalypse Now.
Conrad has a very complex way of writing that allows his imagery to work the way it does in setting the scene for the death of the helmsman. We see him slowly dying in the “pilot-house”. After being hit with the spear, he “fell to the ground hitting his head twice upon the wheel”. Conrad goes on to describe how the helmsman held the spear as it stuck out of his body while Marlow watched realizing that he was standing in a pool of the helmsman’s blood. The “lighting” in this scene is dark. The river they are traveling down has trees on either side that have many limbs and large leaves hanging down that shade the river very well. This allows for what appears to be a morbid, dark scene appropriate for the death of the helmsman. The setting of this scene, as before mentioned is the pilot-house of the boat they are traveling in. The setting shows that even in when he is in the place he knows best, because he drives the boat, he is still in danger.
After the helmsman’s death, Marlow proceeds to take off his socks and shoes to rid himself of the blood that they are covered with. A day or so later, Marlow pushes the helmsman off into to the river so that...

... middle of paper ...

...e same tools though one had to create the image in the brain of his reader and the other showed to the viewer through the image on the screen. Chief and the helmsman were both killed by a spear, but in different spots on their boat. The helmsman died in a pool of blood, while Chief did not. Both bodies were taken by the river to a place unknown. Conrad and Coppola both symbolized the river as a greater power. This could suggest a power that should not be tampered with. Both men were very talented in their craft and portraying the scene in a way that sent chills down the reader’s, or viewer’s, spine. They both used the lighting and setting of the scene to create a dreary mood for Chief and the helmsman to die in. The symbolism of the river helps in the creation of this dreary mood.

Click the button above to view the complete essay, speech, term paper, or research paper

Need Writing Help?

Essay about Movie versus Film: Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now
- Throughout the history of our technological age, film makers have spotted the brilliance of classic novels and have, thus, envisioned taking the work of literature and forming it into a film in hopes to portray the genius of the novel within their medium. One such example is that of Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness and Francis Ford Coppola’s movie Apocalypse Now. In Conrad’s work, his use of imagery, diction, and tone elevate his novel to the pinnacle of imperialistic writing while Coppola’s film uses sound, light, visual stimulants, as well as facial expressions to craft his work while portraying the emotion felt within Conrad’s piece.... [tags: movies, films, filmmakers, joseph conrad]

Marlow and Kurtz: The Character Foils from In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
- ... This love of adventure did not just come about overnight. He tells his other shipmates, “Now when I was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours…there were many blank spaces on the earth and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map... I would point my finger on it and say: When I grow up I will go there” (Conrad 8). Kurtz does not display this same love for adventure; one of their opposites. Kurtz is idolized by the natives. Some people might even go as far to say that Kurtz has turned into a savage himself.... [tags: journey, love, wilderness]:: 1 Works Cited

Essay on Comparing and Contrasting Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness
- Acclaimed Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart, is a story about Okonkwo, a man from the fictional village of Umuofia. Okonkwo’s attempt to form an idealized self-identity and the stress he experiences in living up to its image wears his life, and eventually destroys the very identity he so desperately sought. Okonkwo’s end is analogous to the end of his tribe and its culture—Achebe refers to the Igbo peoples’ culture as the Ibo culture in his book. Furthermore, Okonkwo’s end shows the pain experienced by the change in power balances as the rulers became the ruled, with the white man colonizing Africa.... [tags: races, culture, Chinua Achebe, Joseph Conrad]:: 4 Works Cited

Comparing Shakespeare's Hamlet and Marlowe of Conrad's Heart of Darkness
- Comparing Shakespeare's Hamlet and Marlowe of Conrad's Heart of Darkness Prince Hamlet, of Shakespeare's famed tragedy, and Marlowe of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, are similarly situated characters. Despite superficially different settings and plots, there is a remarkably similar thematic element shared between both works. Prince Hamlet and Marlowe are brought to the very brink of insanity by their immersion in worlds gone mad, yet still succeed. At their roots, the similarities of the environments they are immersed in are remarkable.... [tags: compare contrast comparison]:: 3 Works Cited

Heart of Darkness versus MacBeth Essay
- Heart of Darkness and MacBeth Joseph Conrad and William Shakespeare are not traditionally paired up for a critical analysis. However, the characters MacBeth and Kurtz in MacBeth and Heart of Darkness, respectively, prove to be worthy of comparison. MacBeth and Kurtz share many common characteristics: both have vaulting ambition that leads both to their success and their demise, a superiority complex, and both make similar sacrifices to achieve their goal. Despite their many similarities, MacBeth and Kurtz differ in many respects.... [tags: Joseph Conrad William Shakespeare Essays]:: 2 Works Cited

Déjà vu in Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad and the film Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola
- Déjà vu, a French term that means, “Already seen” is a common societal phenomenon. Many people have described it as having an experience that they have done previously without actually doing the event prior. Déjà vu is a complex phenomenon that is highly debated among the scientific community because of its complexity and evidence to support theories. Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad and the film Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola’s have a similar feeling to Déjà vu. Though the two works have a similar story line they have different characters, timelines, and locations.... [tags: death, montage, phenomenon]:: 2 Works Cited

A Comparison of Heart of Darkness and The Secret Agent Essay
- A Comparison of Heart of Darkness and The Secret Agent This essay consists of two separate parts but the intention is that both these parts will prove to be relevant from the point of view of what this essay sets out to study. The first part will present Joseph Conrad's life and some of his works and the latter part will consist of a comparison of two of Conrad's works, Heart of Darkness and The Secret Agent. In this essay I will begin from two assumptions, namely, that both the works mentioned above include clearly identifiable similarities in their narration, theme and method, and, that Conrad's own experiences and views have had great effect on both works.... [tags: comparison compare contrast essays]:: 5 Works Cited

An Image of Africa Essay
- An Image of Africa Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad has been depicted as “among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language.” [pg.1] Chinua Achebe believes otherwise. In Chinua Achebe’s An Image of Africa: Racism is Conrad’s Heart of Darkness he simply states that, “Joseph Conrad was a thoroughgoing racist” [pg.5] Achebe argues that the racist observed in the Heart of Darkness is expressed due to the western psychology or as Achebe states “desire,” this being to show Africa as an antithesis to Europe.... [tags: Literary Analysis, Joseph Conrad]

Essay about heart of darkness
- Various parallels can be drawn when comparing and contrasting Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Frank Coppola's "Apocalypse Now", while taking into consideration Heart of Darkness is a novella and "Apocalypse Now" is a film. These differences and similarities can be seen in themes, characters, events and other small snippets of information including anything from quoted lines to strange actions of the main characters. Both pieces follow the same story line but they are presented in different contexts, allowing for many differences as well as the ability to see how Conrad is able to write a piece of literature that can be transposed to many different settings regardle... [tags: essays research papers]

Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies Essay
- Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies Seldom are works as brilliantly written as Conrad's Heart of Darkness or Golding's Lord of the Flies. There are effective comparisons and contrasts between the two novels. The novels deal with many similar issues and contain many of the same themes. Many of the themes present in Heart of Darkness and also present in Lord of the Flies. Both novels deal with the theme of civilization versus savagery. Also, both novels imply that every man has a heart of darkness or an evil that is usually drowned out by the light of civilization.... [tags: comparison compare contrast essays]